


Bittersweet Tears

by Ice_Bear_is_Russian



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Bread, Fluff and Angst, Gluten - Freeform, MOA - Freeform, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Bear_is_Russian/pseuds/Ice_Bear_is_Russian
Summary: (Choi Soobin x Bread)Being the leader of the ultra-popular K-pop band Tomorrow X Together is not easy.  From preparing for comeback to enduring regular teasing from his chaotic band-mates, Choi Soobin has a lot of things on his plate - and bread is one of them.Join Soobin on this thrilling adventure featuring unconventional romance, gluten, and most importantly -   heartbreak.Everything in this work is clean - safe for ages 12 years and over.New chapter up every weekend.*Author's Note: THIS IS A JOKE. This is not meant to be taken seriously. Stan TXT, and stream Blue Hour.*
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Bread
Comments: 13
Kudos: 6





	1. How It All Began

**Author's Note:**

> This story begins in Eternity era and progresses to the Blue Hour era, but I'm sure everyone can tell that anyway based on the hair colours.  
> Minisode 1: Blue Hour is finally released! Keep streaming, everyone! <3

_"Friends don't understand me any more...more...more..."_

The last notes of the song faded away for the thirtieth time that day as the exhausted members of Tomorrow X Together slumped to the floor in a gorgeous fatigue, the gleaming floor peppered with scuffs from their worn sneakers.

"OK, one more time from the top!"

Yeonjun's optimistic voice shone through the practice room like the first rays of morning sun as he sprang to his feet, winding his arms to generate stamina as if it were electricity. His energy, however, was anything but reciprocated. A series of groans issued from the members sprawled on the hardwood floor as he bounced around the room, tugging at his bandmates' limbs in a futile attempt to yank them to their feet.

Soobin was too tired to protest. He distantly sensed Yeonjun yanking his arm, but the soreness of his limbs prevented him from standing up. His arm flopped limply back to the floor as Yeonjun gave up and moved on to the next member. Soobin felt his fatigue double as it struck him that, as the leader, he ought to set a better example for his younger members. Sighing faintly, the tallest member mustered his remaining willpower and stood up with great difficulty while Yeonjun continued his attempts at motivating the rest of the group.

"C'mon, guys, we can't stop now," the fourth gen it-boy scolded. "Our comeback is in three days! Our fans have been waiting so long for this, we can't let them wait in vain! This album has to be our best yet-"

Yeonjun paused, huffing as his bright eyes scanned the room. He stared, concerned, at the youngest members feebly stirring on the spacious floor. Frowning, he glanced at the clock on the back wall, toying with a strand of his newly-blonde hair as he paced thoughtfully in front of the polished mirror. Soobin felt a flash of hope beam through him, and he strained his ears carefully to hear the eldest member's next words.

"Hmm," he mused. "On second thought, it's already pretty late," he murmured quietly.

Soobin's hopes skyrocketed.

"Let's call it a day and go get some food."

The constant whine of aching limbs that had bothered Soobin for the past hour vanished instantly, and a grin spread across his face upon hearing the word "food". He immediately forgot all about the pain of his dry throat - attained after spending hours perfecting his beautiful falsetto - and leapt up, scrambling to the exit, ignoring the shooting pains in his back from when he gave Hueningkai a piggyback ride a few hours earlier.

Pausing by the door, Soobin saw that his excitement was greatly mirrored by the others. Even after long hours of practice, the members' supposedly drained stamina skyrocketed as they sprinted haphazardly towards the door, clearly ignoring their own tiredness as they bickered among each other, shoving each other playfully without a trace of weariness. However, this chaos was merely background noise to Soobin as his usually busy mind now only had room for his beloved - whom he knew was waiting restlessly for him in the bakery three blocks away.

~~~

The luscious aroma of the bakery enveloping Bread normally brought it a sense of joy and belonging. However, this now seemed like mere annoyances that clouded its senses, begging for attention as it sat, a round, stout, sweet red bean bun - the last one in the glass display case, in fact - anxiously awaiting its one and only. It sighed, turning with some difficulty to stare at the homely-looking grandfather clock resting behind the counter. The little hand was nearly at the twelve, and Bread pouted as its eyes followed the second hand all the way around the face of the clock until it struck midnight. It sulked miserably, blinking to conceal its tears while the motherly bakery owner, Mrs. Baguette, looked at it sympathetically as she put Bread in the storage pan which she then placed gently on the countertop. Sighing, Mrs. Baguette locked the display case while straightening her lacy apron.

"Oh, don't get too discouraged, sweetie. I told you he looked like a player. Maybe he'll visit tomorrow."

Bread looked up angrily into the pitying eyes of Mrs. Baguette , tears burning the insides of its eyes as it fought tenaciously to keep from crying.

"No, I told you, he isn't like that! He's different, I know it! How could you say that about Soob-"

Just as Bread's tears clouded its eyes, the shop door burst open with a violent jingle of the door bell, and there he was. For a beautiful, glorious second that seemed to last for eternity, there he stood, framed by the doorway, his lavender hair disheveled gorgeously by the wind, the one and only Choi Soobin.

He stumbled breathlessly up to the counter, his hoodie thrown hastily over his shoulder, his faded Converse squeaking on the linoleum floor. He stood there for a moment, leaning heavily on the register, obviously catching his breath, while Mrs. Baguette and Bread both gaped at him in awe. His face hardly even flushed from the exercise, he flashed his dimpled smile at the flustered bakery owner as his gasping began to recede.

"I'm-so-sorry-I-forgot-you-close-at-midnight," he panted. 

"Can I have the sweet red bean bun, please?"


	2. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Minisode 1: Blue Hour is being released in less than a week! Keep streaming, everyone! Thank you so much for reading!

Bread's eyes, brimming with tears, gleamed joyously as it gazed up at Soobin, its bean-filled heart flooding with relief. Mrs. Baguette handed Bread over into Soobin's poised hands, in which he held Bread ever so gently as he exited the cozy atmosphere of the bakery, stepping out into the breezy night. Bread stared at him, mesmerized. It admired the utter perfection of his cutely shaped nose, the soft glimmer of his chestnut eyes, and his kind smile adorned with the adorable dimples that it had missed so terribly. No matter how long they had been apart, he still managed to stun Bread every time they locked eyes. _How can someone this perfect even exist?_ Bread wondered absently to itself, hardly noticing Soobin's sudden frown.

"Bread, you're crying. Is everything okay?"

Bread was abruptly pulled from its dreamlike state, which was quickly replaced by a surge of embarrassment as its face burned redder than the beans it was filled with. 

"No, everything's all right. I'm just so happy to see you, Soobin. It's been so long," Bread quivered, clumsily trying to dry its tears with a finger before realizing and cursing the fact that it lacked the hands necessary to accomplish such a task.

"Hang on, let me-" Soobin interjected calmly, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a tissue.

"Here," he continued, tenderly dabbing at the tears streaming down Bread's cheeks. Bread's self-consciousness peaked as its face blazed redder still, rendering it speechless.

"Your face is burning up, are you sure you don't have a fever?"

Soobin's flawless eyebrows furrowed in concern as he neatly tucked the used tissue into his jeans pocket.

"N-no, I'm perfectly okay. U-um,we should g-get going, the others are p-probably wondering w-where you are," Bread stammered, feeling more and more flustered by the minute.

 _Why do I have to be so awkward? Come on, Bread, get a grip,_ it fumed silently.

~~~

Soobin smiled to himself as he watched Bread furiously attempt to pull itself together. He kept on grinning as he sauntered down the dimly-lit sidewalk, keeping Bread carefully cradled in his palms. He knew he had this effect on many of his fans, but he found it especially amusing to use on Bread. _Aww, it's blushing,_ Soobin thought cheerfully as he watched Bread struggle to form coherent speech. He gazed adoringly at Bread, paying extra attention to all of the little things that he so loved about it - its warm, sweet aroma, its freshly-baked complexion, the seeds sprinkled daintily on its face like freckles - and soaking in the presence which he had so sorely missed. After about a minute or so, the considerate Soobin decided to spare Bread some of its embarrassment and initiate a new conversation.

"Listen, do you want to come to our dorm? I could introduce you to the other members-"

Bread's scarlet complexion suddenly drained and became starkly white.

"S-soobin, I would love to, but you know I can't."

Confused, Soobin cocked his head to the side.

"Why not? You would get along great," he countered.

"Soobin. Look at me."

Bread's stuttering suddenly ceased.

Soobin stared.

"What?"

Bread continued, articulating every word as if it were speaking to a five year-old.

"I.Am.A.Piece.Of.Talking.Bread."

"And?"

"I have a face!"

The clueless Soobin gawked at his beloved as he watched it fight to keep from rolling its eyes.

"Just how many pieces of talking bread do you see around - "

"SOOBIN! There you are! It's half past one, we thought you were dead!"

The startled leader wheeled around in surprise, hastily hiding the disgruntled Bread behind his back.

A dark figure stood behind the streetlight looming on the other side of the street. It sauntered lazily into the halo of light projecting onto the cobblestone sidewalk, angelic features defining themselves on its jaunty face. Beomgyu stood, panting, in the middle of the empty road, sloppily running his hand through his hair that was rumpled adorably by the wind. He let out an aggravated groan and shoved his hand inside his fluffy marshmallow-like parka, pulling out his phone.

"Hyuka, it's fine, don't worry, I found him, he's alive, and yes, you owe me for this. Yeah, give the phone to Yeonjun-hyung."

Soobin, meanwhile, shifted his weight uneasily as he angled himself awkwardly to keep Bread out of Beomgyu's line of sight. Beomgyu - bless him - took no notice of this as he chattered away on the phone, completely oblivious. 

"Yeah, I know the way back. Of course you can trust me. Hyung, listen - listen, I know - hey - that was ONE TIME, I SWEAR, I NOW KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CITY DUMPS AND THE DORM. Geez."

He frowned.

"What? Oh, totally. Yeah, bye."

Dropping his phone back into his pocket, he strode gallantly towards Soobin and teasingly flicked his elder member's forehead with his forefinger.

"Ouch! You brat, I'm older than you-"

Soobin, nimbly stashing Bread inside his inner shirt pocket, swung his fist at Beomgyu in retaliation.

Beomgyu snickered and stuck out his tongue, dancing just out of Soobin's reach, which was really quite far away considering that Soobin was over six feet tall.

"Ye-es, but I have special permission from Yeonjun-hyung," his junior sang mockingly. "He said to hit you for making us go out and look for you at midnight - er, it's two, though, now, isn't it?"

Beomgyu's spirits seemed to soar at the thought of getting special permission to tease his leader, despite clearly having walked miles to find him. He skipped enthusiastically alongside Soobin as they rounded the corner, making their way back to the dorm.

"Oh yeah, I heard you talking to someone earlier, who was-"

"What do you mean? I wasn't talking to anyone!" Soobin retorted indignantly, the slightest hint of panic in his normally calm and collected voice.

"But...I thought it sounded like you..."

Soobin held his breath anxiously, keeping Bread safely hidden inside his inner shirt pocket. He glanced warily at Beomgyu, who frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes before shrugging and cheerfully humming a light tune as they continued down the dim street.

Soobin exhaled in relief, thanking his lucky stars that it was Beomgyu who stumbled upon him, and not the naturally inquisitive and quick-witted Taehyun. The lavender-hair shuddered at the thought of having to explain his sudden disappearance to the observant young vocalist.

 _I'm sorry, Bread, but it looks like you'll have to stay in our dorm for tonight,_ Soobin thought apologetically, praying that Bread would the sense to stay quiet until he could figure something out. 

* * *

"We're baaaaaack!"

Beomgyu hollered into the depths of the compact apartment, kicking off his black Air Force Ones and chucking them mercilessly under the bench by the threshold. 

"Took you long enough!"

Yeonjun's neon yellow cap of hair bounced comically as he poked his head out of the kitchen clutching a cup of instant ramen, a single lonely noodle trailing out of the corner of his mouth as the latter inverted itself into an annoyed frown. He stepped out into the common area and called, "Kai, we found hi-"

"SOOBIN-HYUNG!"

A pastel-blue blur dashed into the entrance-way and flung itself at Soobin, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. He could hear Bread sneeze as it was compressed uncomfortably inside his shirt pocket, and he swiftly muffled the noise with a surprisingly realistic cough. Taken slightly aback by the sudden ambush, he looked down at the youngest member grinning up at him.

"Where did you go off to?" Kai exclaimed, a note of betrayal in his innocent voice. " We were all so worrie-"

A murderous voice interrupted him from the couch, causing all four boys to flinch in surprise.

"IT IS THREE IN THE MORNING, STOP SCREAMING FOR PETE'S SAKE, I WAS SLEEPING BEFORE Y'ALL STARTED - oh, hey, Soobin-hyung."

Taehyun emerged from underneath the blankets tossed haphazardly on the couch, where he had been resting unnoticed for the past two minutes. A charcoal-grey sweatshirt was casually slung over his shoulders, contrasting wonderfully with his strawberry red hair which he ruffled sleepily as he lumbered towards the others. Despite him being one of the youngest, his bloodthirsty gaze cast an intimidating silence over his terrified band-mates. Beomgyu recovered almost instantly, which was not much of a surprise as he usually fulfilled the important job of teasing the others and suffering the repercussions. Waking a sleeping dragon - or, in this case, Taehyun - was more or less his specialty.

"Stop whining, we all know you sleep with your eyes open anyway. Literally," he added as an afterthought. "Besides, how can you sleep while your leader goes missing in the middle of the night? Weren't you worried at all?"

He called daringly to Taehyun, clearly overconfident that he could challenge the most sensible member of the group. Taehyun stared at Beomgyu as if his senior had just asked him the answer to two-plus-two (which was reasonable since it had happened before) .

"Soobin-hyung is twenty years old. He's a responsible adult. I'm sure he more or less knows how to find his way home," Taehyun retorted lightly. "He also happens to have a phone. Did any of you clowns try calling him?" 

An embarrassed stupor hung over the members. 

"Yeah, but he didn't pick u-"

Beomgyu replied hastily, sheepishly rushing to preserve his ego. He was interrupted by Taehyun snickering devilishly.

"Liar. You ran out right as Kai asked where Soobin had gone."

Taehyun's large, intelligent eyes glowed mischievously as he lightheartedly teased Beomgyu. Beomgyu's ego visibly deflated, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He recovered quickly, however, and in no time he had swiftly diverted the topic away from his adorable forgetfulness and had reminded everyone that it was, in fact, three in the morning and they should probably get to bed.

Soobin, however, seized his chance as Yeonjun began shooing everyone into their bunk beds. Staying absolutely silent, the anxious leader crept into the kitchen and lifted Bread out from the folds of his flannel shirt, relieved that it did not seem to be hurt from when Kai had unknowingly squished it. It glared reproachfully up at him before accusing hysterically, "Do you have ANY IDEA how big of a risk-"

"Shhh, Bread, please be quiet, they'll hear you!" Soobin interjected in a hoarse whisper, whipping his head around in a frenzied paranoia. Ignoring its angry protests, he placed it carefully inside the top cupboard.

"Here, this is the pantry, there are some comfortable napkins you can sleep on in the back right corner. Good night, sleep well, I promise I'll make this up to you later-"

"Who are you talking to, Soobin?"

Soobin yelped and slammed the pantry door, nearly catching his fingers in the gap. He wheeled around in alarm.

Yeonjun stood, impressively stylish, clad in a plain black hoodie and plaid lounge pants, in the kitchen entrance - obviously on his way to sneak a bedtime snack. His deep chocolate eyes filled with concern.

"What's the matter? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I...I-I was..."

Soobin ability to speak failed him at the most crucial moment. 

"Listen, I think you need some sleep, it's been a long night. Everyone else is already passed out, I just need another cup of ramen -"

He strode across the kitchen and made to open the door behind which Bread was concealed. 

"No!"

Soobin blurted, his voice breaking with panic, moving protectively in front of the cupboard. The lines around Yeonjun's worried eyes deepened.

"Soobin, what are you hiding?"


	3. Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeonjun has recently revealed that ramyeon is his No.1 favourite food in the latest X:TIME, so expect some mention of that in the next coming chapters as the story progresses from Eternity to the current era :)
> 
> With that being said, please enjoy the next chapter and remember to keep streaming Blue Hour!
> 
> -Author

"W-what?" Soobin regained his voice.

"Is something the matter? What's up with the cupboard?" Yeonjun fired question after question at the leader standing cornered in front of the pantry.

"L-listen, hyung, it's nothing. Really. I-I think I just didn't get enough sleep." Soobin laughed weakly.

Yeonjun paused, although traces of concern still lingered in the depths of his mesmerizing chocolate eyes.

"If you say so. Let's go, the others are probably finishing their third dream by now."

The eldest member glanced longingly at the cupboard, deprived of his evening ramyeon. Sighing, he clapped Soobin on the back in a brotherly manner as he dragged him towards the bunks.

~~~

Bread sat, shivering in the pitch-black darkness of the cupboard, deathly silent as it eavesdropped on the commotion outside. It eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and it scooted cautiously to the stripe of light between the pantry door and the hinge. It peered anxiously through the crack, holding its breath as it watched Soobin argue with Yeonjun and exhaling in relief as the pair exited through the kitchen doorway.

"And who are _you_ supposed to be?"

A snide voice jeered out of nowhere, causing Bread to jump and land in a cloud of flour. It looked around in alarm, eyes tracing the cramped wooden space until they landed on a blue film package laying innocently in the back corner.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Bread edged cautiously to the opposite corner.

"I dunno, what do you think, bean-brain?" A snide voice taunted from the inside of the brightly marked plastic bag.

Bread felt a stab of embarrassment.

"Oh, r-right. Uh, I'm Bread, nice to meet-"

"I can tell you're Bread, I could smell your starch as soon as your glutenous butt landed in the pantry." The voice retorted rudely.

"S-sorry. Who are-"

"Dear LORD, how stupid can you be?" a pale, salty rice cake rolled out of a plastic bag, sneering pretentiously at her visitor.

Bread felt that, as rude as it was to encroach on Rice Cake's hospitality, it could not vindicate such a hateful barrage of insults. It opened its mouth tentatively, calculating its every phrase as if it was pleading to a jury.

"Listen, I'm really sorry, but Soobin said I had to stay here just for tonight-"

"Oh, DID he now?" Rice Cake raised its eyebrows in mocking amusement. "Well, then, I've got news for you."

~~~

Soobin relaxed ever so slightly as he allowed Yeonjun to guide him towards the bunks. He nodded silently as his senior made a shushing gesture and very carefully turned the doorknob with the gentlest click. The door creaked open to reveal three very-much-awake pairs of eyes goggling at the eldest members standing framed in the hallway light. Not more than a second passed before Yeonjun and Soobin were under intense interrogation, with the younger members flinging questions at their seniors at a greater speed than Jeon Jungkook finishing the men's relay finals in 2016.

"What was that all about?" Kai piped up energetically.

"Yeah, the kitchen isn't soundproof, you know. We heard everything." Taehyun chimed in from the nearest bunk.

"Hyung, what's up with the cupboard? Are there still roaches in it?" Beomgyu added anxiously, attempting to sound casual and failing miserably.

"Um, Beomgyu-hyung, I have something to tell you." Kai interjected innocently.

"Hmm? What is it?" Beomgyu climbed clumsily out of his bunk and leaned towards the youngest as the latter whispered in his ear. His face melted into a look of appalled betrayal.

"WHAT?!"

He wheeled towards Taehyun, who had conveniently rolled towards the wall and was now pretending to be asleep.

"Kang Taehyun, you fat liar, you told me there were roaches in the pantry just so that I wouldn't take the extra snacks!"

Abandoning his makeshift act, Taehyun glanced over his shoulder at Beomgyu and shrugged nonchalantly.

"It was April Fool's Day. Besides, it's not my fault that you still chose to believe it after a year had gone by." He stated matter-of-factually as he pulled his covers over his head, smirking.

"Gosh, this brat..." Beomgyu halfheartedly stuck his tongue out at the savage vocalist as he clambered back into his own bunk.

"Don't change the topic," Kai chirped from the bottom bunk. "Soobin-hyung, are you okay?"

"Um, yeah, I'm fine, Hyuka, don't worry." Soobin avoided Kai's questioning gaze, his mind racing to come up with an excuse to leave. "Seeing as everyone's awake anyway, I'll, um, go brush my teeth."

With great effort, he molded his face into a casual expression, keeping his eyes downcast as he hurried out of the room.

~~~

Yeonjun seized his chance as soon as Soobin shut the door behind him.

Keeping his finger pressed, warning, to his lips, he frantically beckoned his younger members towards him. They all cast confused glances at each other before edging towards him.

"Guys, don't you get the feeling that Soobin's hiding something?" the eldest member asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Hmm, now that you mention it..." Taehyun gazed at the door thoughtfully. Yeonjun looked at him, desperate for ideas. The red-hair glanced at him for a moment before lowering his eyes tiredly and shaking his head.

"I agree, but I have no clue as to what it might be."

"I mean, he was talking to someone not too far from the bakery..."

Three heads whipped around to stare at Beomgyu.

"And you didn't tell us?" Kai accused his senior in a hurt whisper.

"He said it was nothing," Beomgyu protested defensively.

"Maybe he was talking to himself," Kai suggested thoughtfully.

"I knew it," Beomgyu gasped, tapping his forehead and snapping his fingers as if he had just had a sudden epiphany. "Soobin-hyung's going insane."

"What?" Yeonjun and Taehyun chorused incredulously.

"Oh yeah, remember that one time he gave two people a piggy-back ride at the same time?" Kai started, nodding enthusiastically at Beomgyu, his eyes wide as their two collective brain cells connected and sparked.

"Of course! What if something on his spine snapped?" Beomgyu continued knowingly, with the air of a scientist about to make a huge discovery.

"And if the spine is connected to the brain-"

"We broke his brain," they finished sagely as they turned to the others, gleaming with pride at their ingeniousness .

"If anyone's brain is broken, it's yours," Taehyun retorted calmly.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head, resigned. "We'll discuss this tomorrow, now everyone back to your bunks or he'll be suspicious-"

~~~

"Geez, guys, you're still up?" Soobin yawned as he strode into the room, rubbing his eyes. He froze as he saw his members caught in their tracks, midway to their bunks.

"Am I missing something?"

"No, we were just discussing what we should do for our day off tomorrow." Taehyun lied sleekly as the others stared at him in a sort of awed appreciation.

"Oh, I see..." Soobin frowned, not entirely satisfied with this answer, but choosing to accept it anyway as he was too tired to argue.

"Listen, Soobin-hyung, are you sure you're okay?" the youngest member scurried up to Soobin and laid his hand gently on his leader's sagging shoulder.

Soobin averted his gaze, guilt flooding him as he thought about how worried the others must be.

"Yeah, I'm just really worn out from today. Let's all go to sleep, I bet it's already light outside," Soobin called in a falsely bright voice, climbing lazily into his bunk as Yeonjun stood patiently by the light switch.

"Hang on-" Kai dashed to his bed and came back clutching a gigantic white plushie, which he tucked in carefully next to his leader's head.

"Molang will keep you company as you sleep." Kai grinned at Soobin, who couldn't help but smile back as Yeonjun flicked off the lights and clambered under his own covers.

"Sweet dreams, everyone-"

~~~

"Huh?" Bread sat dumbfounded as Rice Cake clicked its tongue in annoyance. "What do you mean? Soobin would never-"

"Are you as stupid as you look?" Rice Cake sneered. "Of course everything is fake. The proof is sitting right there in the freezer."

"T-the freezer? I don't understand-" Bread quivered in dismay.

"Yes, the freezer, you insufferable lump of flour, the freezer! " Rice Cake loomed over Bread triumphantly.

Bread flushed as tears filled its eyes, however this time they were tears of uncertainty rather than joy.

"W-whatever, I'm going to go sleep. Good night." It turned around defiantly and rolled onto the napkins that were sitting in the opposite corner, turning to face the wall and trying to ignore Rice Cake's jeering, each insult tearing through its confidence like cat's claws on curtains.

All of a sudden, Rice Cake fell silent and Bread 's ears strained against its will, daring to hope that the deafening silence meant that the former had dozed off.

"As if you could sleep when you know Soobin's cheating on you." Rice Cake cooed evilly before flopping back into its package for the remainder of the night.

Bread listened mournfully to the silence, assuring herself that its new enemy was asleep, before its eyes overflowed and it collapsed into a wave of painful sobs.

~~~

Soobin groaned as his something vibrated next to his ear, an upbeat jingle jerking him forcefully from his peaceful sleep. He tentatively forced his eyelids to open before groping around for his phone and groggily peering at the time, the screen barely an inch from his face.

The phone screen read 5:05 a.m. He had been asleep for exactly two hours. He cursed himself internally for forgetting to reset his alarm for his day off, anxiously wondering at the same time if he had awoken anyone else. Propping himself up on his elbows, Soobin glanced around the room dimly lit by the rays of light filtering through the blinds.

Hueningkai was laying swamped by plushies in the bunk opposite him, while Yeonjun and Taehyun were mere dark blobs, easily mistakable for logs as they lay facing the wall. Gentle mumbling from the bunk above told Soobin that Beomgyu was happily frolicking in his own dream world. Everyone was clearly out cold, lying mummified in their covers, undisturbed by the sudden alarm. Soobin flopped back down onto his pillow, unable to fall back asleep. It struck him suddenly that he should probably check on Bread. He stealthily slid out from underneath his covers, tenderly returning Molang back onto the mound of plushies on Kai's bunk as he made his way across the room. He held his breath, careful to not wake his members as he tiptoed barefoot into the kitchen.

Soobin sighed in relief as he gripped the pantry handle, pausing once more to check his surroundings before gently opening the door. He doubled back as he saw a disheveled Bread sitting on a pile of napkins with bags under its eyes and tear stains glowing on its pale cheeks.

It also seemed quite startled at first by the sudden visit, but soon regained its gloomy composure in less than a second. Soobin blinked in surprise.

"Bread? What's wrong? I thought you were asleep," Soobin asked nervously.

Bread did not meet his eyes.

"Soobin, we have to talk."


	4. Panic, chaos and degradation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!
> 
> I realized I had updated this chapter on Wattpad but not on here T.T I just want to thank you all of you again for being patient with my inconsistent updates and say that I really appreciate each and every one of you who decides to read my work!! Now that I am on exam break, I hope to get back on track with updates, as I've decided on the plot, and all that's left is to bring it to all of you wonderful people!  
> Thank you so much for reading <3  
> \- Author

"T-talk? About what?"

Soobin doubled back, taken by surprise. Bread managed to swallow the massive lump in its throat and draw a shuddering breath before it spoke.

"I heard - from Rice Cake, I m-mean - that you've been-" Bread's voice cracked dreadfully, and it heard Rice Cake's snarky snigger echo in the depths of the pantry. It inhaled once more before clearing its throat weakly. "That you've been seeing someone else."

"Huh?" Soobin's eyes widened in shock. "Who would tell you that?" His eyes returned to normal as Bread's words slowly registered.

"Rice Cake!"

"What?" Rice Cake simpered as it rolled into view, feigning innocence.

"What have you been telling Bread while I was gone? And what did I tell you about respecting guests in the pantry?"

~~~~

Soobin's blood boiled as he glared intimidatingly down at Rice Cake, who was batting its long eyelashes in a futile attempt to divert the blame.

"I only spoke the truth, you know."

It smirked triumphantly. 

Soobin felt his stomach drop as panic filled his chest. However, being the experienced leader he was, he made every attempt to conceal his anxiety as he lectured her in a disciplinary tone that would make any Karen jealous.

"Can you be any more ungrateful? I bought you from that sketchy convenience store where nobody wanted you ! And this is what you give me in return for giving you a good home? Huh?"

Rice Cake rolled its eyes dubiously as Bread's eyes darted from Soobin to Rice Cake in devastated confusion.

"Soobin, Bread's bound to find out one day. I was just doing both of you a favor and sparing Bread the pain of hearing it from you."

"You cheap, off-brand piece of-! What a waste of my money!I should throw you out on the streets, maybe that will teach you a lesson!"

"Yeah, yeah. Like hell you will. Just don't shoot the messenger."

"Why you - Taehyun was right, you _are_ overpriced. $2.99 was too much to pay for all of the trouble you gave me. You know what? I'm returning you for a refund. Right now."

Ignoring the fact that it was only 5:10 a.m. and he was still wearing his fluffy racoon-patterned pajamas, the infuriated Soobin dashed into the hallway, snatching up Rice Cake and shoving it forcefully back into the bright yellow No-Name brand packaging, expertly muffling its anguished protests. He slung his favourite tan overcoat over his shoulder as he glanced apologetically at Bread, who was still sitting dazed in the open pantry. 

"Bread, I'm so sorry, I'll explain everything later."

"But-"

Soobin cut Bread short and mustered his best, charmingly dimpled grin despite the hot potion of anger and anxiety that was rumbling in his chest, trying to act reassuring.

" I'll be back in ten minutes. I promise. We'll sort everything out then, I love you!" he called hastily as he hurried out of the kitchen, his keys dangling from the lanyard trailing out of his pocket.

~~~~

"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE! IT IS 5:30 a.m., TIME TO GET UP! COME ON, GUYS, RISE AND GRIND!" Yeonjun sang enthusiastically, already somehow fully groomed, his head in the doorway as he obnoxiously flicked the light switch on and off. 

A series of fatigued complaints issued from the bunks as his juniors pulled their pillows over their heads and burrowed deeper under their covers, desperate to return to their blissful sleep as the lightbulb emitted a series of seizure-inducing strobe lights.

Resigned, the eldest member exhaled in defeat as he pouted at the caterpillar-like mounds on the beds. He pivoted on his heel, about to head to the bunk. However, it suddenly struck him that something was off. He glanced back into the bunks. Taehyun was sliding out from under his covers, rubbing his eyes groggily and running his hand through his hair. Beomgyu, bless him, was struggling to extract himself from the cocoon of his covers while Kai attempted to help by untangling the knots, ultimately complicating the situation and resulting in a stream of obscenities adorning the room soundscape of chaos. 

_See? Everything's fine,_ Yeonjun scolded himself mentally before his eyes flickered to Soobin's empty bunk. 

"Hey, uh, did anyone see Soobin leave?"

He was met with a chorus on "No"s.

Yeonjun frowned.

"Alright, one of you has to be lying because SOOBIN IS GONE. "

"Again?"

Taehyun knit his eyebrows as he looked skeptically at his senior.

"Have you checked the kitchen?"

The eldest smacked his forehead in realization as he dashed out of the bedroom.

"Soobin? You there?"

He came to a halt in the kitchen doorway, craning his head and scanning the kitchen for any sign of the vanished leader. His eyes fell on the dramatically open pantry.

 _Did Soobin eat breakfast without us?_ The neon-haired member wondered, hurt. 

He made to close the cupboard before a slight movement in the inside corner caught his attention and he carefully poked his head inside the pantry.

~~~~

Bread held its breath, squeezing its eyes shut, trying its best to appear as an innocent, non-talking piece of bread without eyes. It could feel the colour filling its face as it struggled to keep from breathing, hoping that the darkness would do its part and conceal it shaking as a yellow-haired stranger's eyes seemed to X-ray the inside of the pantry.

"A roach, maybe," he murmured quietly to himself. 

_A roach? A ROACH?!_ Bread fumed silently. What crime had it committed in order to receive such an insult? To be compared to something as pathetic as a roach? Infuriating!

"YEONJUN-HYUNG!"

The stranger jumped in surprise, letting out a yelp as his head hit the corner of the pantry with a dull thud.

"What are you doing?"

"Kai... next time, don't sneak up on me, please..." 

Bread caught a glimpse of the stranger - Yeonjun, it assumed - 's hand as he reached up to rub the crown of his head.

"Sorryyyy..." the newcomer's voice floated in through the open pantry. "But it was urgent. Our seniors - BTS, I mean - just called us."

~~~

Yeonjun's eyes widened. 

" _What do you mean, BTS called us?!"  
_

He lowered his voice, to a dangerously hushed tone.

Hueningkai silently unlocked his phone, turning the screen towards Yeonjun.

" _And you...MISSED A CALL FROM OUR SENIORS ?!"_

Hueningkai's eyes flickered guiltily to the floor.

"I was so nervous, I didn't know what to say when I picked up... I ran to you, but you had your head in the pantry and-"

He paused, seeing Yeonjun close his eyes in exasperation - every line in his face screaming, _Lord help this child._

"I'll call them back right now," the youngest amended hastily.

The youngest gulped, inhaled deeply, and uncertainly pressed "Redial".

The air was heavy as the phone rang one, two, three times -

"CAN YOU HEAR US?!" "FINALLY!" "WHAT'S GOOD!" "T!X!T!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Yeonjun's ears rang with the raucous noise that erupted out of the phone's tiny speaker.

Blinking in shock, he cleared his throat.

"Um, hello? BTS sunbaenims?" 

He managed in what he hoped was a humble and respectful tone.

"Hey! Idiots! Quiet down, I can't hear any - for the last time, Jungkook, those are _my_ snacks, leave them alone or I'm never cooking you another meal - HEY! I SAID, QUIET DOWN, FOR GOD'S SAKE, IT'S 5:40 A.M., I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING, AND NO, I'M NOT GOING DEAF, BUT MAYBE I WILL IF Y'ALL DON'T STOP- _Finally._ Geez. Anyway, uh, it's Seokjin. Hi."

"Hi, Seokjin-sunbaenim," the two shaken members chorused.

"Oh, Namjoon's saying something. WHAT? I DON'T CARE! NO, I'M NOT LENDING MINE, THAT STUFF COSTS MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER - OH, OKAY, FINE. Namjoon ran out of shampoo, and no one in their right mind would let him drive, so, anyway... PD-nim says that I should drop by your dorm to visit on the way back from the store. Thought you should know. Uh, I'll come by...at...let's see...10? That should work. See you then! SAY BYE TO TXT, EVERYONE-"

A series of loud hollers issued from the other end before the line clicked and Seokjin hung up.

A solid ten seconds of stunned silence hung over the kitchen before Yeonjun and Hueningkai looked at each other in alarm.

"Um...."

Yeonjun recovered quickly, nimbly grabbing an apron off of the nearest chair.

"WE NEED TO CLEAN UP. NOW."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also as a PSA - I constantly go back and edit other chapters, so if you see any minor changes don't worry~


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